J.D. Davis Remains Odd Met Out As 2022 Begins

As 2021 draws to a close, so too does a disappointing year for the New York Mets. But as the new year begins, it brings plenty of optimism for this organization that’s looking to end its five-season playoff drought in 2022.

Until next season opens, however, this franchise will look to improve its roster even further once a new Collective Bargaining Agreement is signed, ending this transaction freeze.

Once the current lockout concludes, the Mets will have some unfinished business to attend to, particularly involving their position player group. Among the issues that’ll need to be addressed, infielder J.D. Davis‘ uncertain future is expected to be a major focus area shortly after the offseason resumes.

Though there’s likely a small fraction of the fanbase wishing for the 28-year-old to stick around a little longer, unfortunately, he finds himself in a very tough spot coming off his injury-riddled performance from last season.

Heading into 2021, Davis was slated to serve as New York’s everyday third baseman, and was provided with every opportunity to do so out of the gate. Sadly, a nagging hand injury completely derailed his third campaign in Queens, resulting in four separate stints on the injured list and ultimately season-ending surgery in October.

Since the 6’3″ infielder was sidelined for most of the year, he was limited to just 211 plate appearances through 73 games, preventing him from making a sizeable impact like previously anticipated. Due to his injury woes, the right-hander was only available for small chunks at a time throughout the schedule, transforming himself into an unreliable performer.

For Davis, his lack of availability meant he was largely forced to take a back seat even after being activated off the IL, allowing former teammate Jonathan Villar to assume the starter’s role at third base. In turn, the righty slugger was bumped down the Mets’ depth chart, shifting him into more of a reserve role.

Still, when healthy, the former third-round selection did provide some offensive upside as he posted a 130 wRC+ score over his limited plate appearances. While brief, he did enjoy an occasional highlight-worthy performance or two during this past season.

In particular, one of Davis’ brightest moments, and there weren’t many of them in 2021, occurred on Jul. 17 against the Pittsburgh Pirates – his second game off the IL – where he crushed a pair of home runs, albeit, in a losing effort.

Despite a few strong showings, overall, most of the veteran infielder’s offensive production was largely overtaken by his alarmingly high strikeout total. Reaching new levels of concern in 2021, he finished with the highest strikeout rate (32.2%), whiff rate (41%) and swinging-strike rate (19.4%) of his major league career.

As a result, though strikeouts have been a concerning aspect of Davis’ craft previously, by far, they easily exceeded those marks throughout the entirety of last season.

Paired with his swing and miss woes, Davis’ ineffective defense has proven to be another huge reason why he’s fallen out of place with New York’s organization. Regardless of where he’s been positioned over the years, the soon-t0-be 29-year-old has made his team worse by taking the field.

Since 2020, the California native has spent the majority of his time at third base, compiling 652 innings at the hot corner. And yet, he’s registered a miserable -7 OAA rating during that span, which is tied for fourth-worst among all qualified third basemen, according to BaseballSavant.com.

With Eduardo Escobar joining the organization earlier this winter, there’s no question he’ll receive a chance to take over the starting job at third base next season. In addition, considering Robinson Cano will be returning from his suspension, odds are Jeff McNeil is poised to spend some time at the hot corner as well, potentially in a super utility role.

Moving beyond the major league roster, New York also features a very talented group of infielders who’re nearly ready to emerge onto the scene at the highest level of competition – including Brett Baty, Ronny Mauricio and Mark Vientos.

Not to mention, free agent Kris Bryant, who isn’t tied to a qualifying offer, also remains a strong possibility as a potential target. Even though this club would be better served to utilize its remaining resources on rounding out the rest of the roster, passing up the chance to acquire a four-time All-Star could prove to be extremely difficult.

Combining all of these factors, it’s probably safe to say Davis and the Mets would both greatly benefit from a divorce at some point this offseason. Considering he’s under team control through 2024, a trade seems to be a very feasible solution to this dilemma.

The only question is, when might that happen?

At this point, that answer remains cloudy at best. But once a new CBA is signed, perhaps trade discussions involving the Elk Grove HS product can begin to intensify, hopefully resulting in a satisfying resolution for both sides.

As for potential destinations, Davis would obviously be better off with a franchise that requires an offensive-first corner infielder. On the surface, three teams jump out right away, including the Miami Marlins, Kansas City Royals and Chicago Cubs.

Based on each of their current rosters, the right-handed slugger would surely be destined to receive consistent playing time if traded to either of these three organizations. That way, assuming he remains healthy, he’d be given a fair chance to remain a starter in the majors rather than continuing to transition into a bench player.

From New York’s perspective, ideally, management would be in search of some major-league ready pitching in exchange for Davis’ services. Luckily, Miami and Kansas City are both rich with young talented arms in their respective farm systems, and could be willing to part with a low-ceiling starter to complete this move.

If that proves to be the case, the Mets would be cleaning up a crowded infield while also adding to their already impressive starting pitching depth, by making just one trade. That’d be a pretty impressive accomplishment.

Even if Davis is traded elsewhere, one thing is clear, he remains the odd man out amongst this current position player group as 2022 commences.